Posts by Nicole Stanhope

Advertising doesn’t appear on the list of industries evolving because of big data. But it should be.

Creative and data. Art and science. Ideas and numbers. The truth is that advertising is both an art and a science and striking the perfect balance between the two can be an intimidating challenge. Many assume the rigid nature of data suffocates the magic of creativity and that data is only a valuable reference point for programmatic advertising. But it seems creative directors are beginning to warm up to the world of data scientists. Spotify proved this when their in-house creative team turned their listener data into hilarious billboards.

Now everyone else wants in on the big data trend. Brands and agencies think that understanding data and how it can inform consumer experience is the biggest issue they are facing this year, according to an annual WARC survey. They also said that drawing insights from big data is the most important element of digital transformation for their business.

So, who is already leveraging data and doing it well? Here are a few of my favourite brands turning their big data into the big idea:

Meet Graham, Using Data to Construct Your CreativeLooking to start a conversation about vehicle safety, the Transport Accident Commission used data from road-safety history, medical research, and human anatomy to create Graham. Graham is what humans would look like if we were built to survive car crashes. Pretty astonishing.

A ‘Dam Fresh Heineken, Using Data to Create an ExperienceAiming to compete with craft breweries and remind tourists that Heineken is the beer of Amsterdam, the big beer brand used travel data from airlines, hotels, and car rental companies to seek travellers to Amsterdam. Upon arrival, the travellers received a personalized Heineken, personalized city map, and the experience of a lifetime.

Let’s Be Real, Using Data as Your CreativeHinge wanted to highlight what makes them different from your traditional swiping dating apps is that it matches you with friends of friends. This means you’ll likely be matched with people you’ll actually have something in common with. They used data from customer profiles and location data to write clever, contextual, and conversational billboards.

Consider the data available to you and your clients. Are you collecting, analyzing, and using it in your creative process? Chances are that if you are, the result is highly engaging, exciting, personalized, and unlike anything consumers have ever seen before.